Olney Theater to Require Proof of Vaccination for Attendees, Performers and Staff

Olney Theater to Require Proof of Vaccination for Attendees, Performers and Staff

Statement by Olney Theatre Center of Current Vaccination Policies for the 2021-2022 Season 

Olney, MD – August 5, 2021 – We fully support the statement by other theatres across the greater Washington, D.C. area to provide proof of vaccination in order to attend live performances indoors.

At Olney Theatre Center, we have also mandated COVID vaccination for our performers and theatre staff. Currently, Olney Theatre Center is offering outdoor performances which are moved indoors to a less than half-capacity theatre when there is foul weather. Proof of vaccination is not currently required for these socially distanced performances, however, mask use is mandatory.

Beginning in September, performances of The Thanksgiving Play in our 150 seat Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab will require proof of vaccination and masks for those ages 12 & above in attendance. The Thanksgiving Play is not appropriate for those ages 12 and under. Vaccine policies beyond October and in all other Olney Theatre venues will depend on the course of the virus and the advice of public health experts and will be announced at a later date.

ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

Mission

Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in our community, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers.

Vision

We strive to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement by cultivating and sharing the creativity of our community.

History

Once a summer stock retreat in rural Maryland, Olney Theatre Center is now an award-winning, year-round regional theatre surrounded in a 15-mile radius by 1.6 million people representing three of the most ethnically diverse counties in America. Since our founding in 1938, some of the biggest names in theatre have appeared on our stages: from “Golden Era” stars like Helen Hayes and Tallulah Bankhead to contemporary artists like Sir Ian McKellen, Robin De Jesús, and many others. OTC welcomed Artistic Director Jason Loewith and Managing Director Debbie Ellinghaus in 2013 and 2014, respectively, who established a new artistic strategy to broaden programming with the goal of nurturing a diversity of voices and audiences. Olney Theatre Center now produces musicals and plays under the three rubrics of Classic, Contemporary and Family programming. Since 2013 Olney Theatre Center has twice won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Production, the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play and presented six world premieres. Complementing this work, OTC fulfills its mission as a teaching theater with educational programs like the Our Play program in local 5th grade classrooms, a summer camp and a year-round professional apprentice program. National Players, now in its 72nd Season, is the hallmark outreach program of OTC, a unique ensemble touring innovative theater to communities large and small across the United States.

For more information, please visit olneytheatre.org/history.

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